LEMON PANCAKES WITH BERRIES & ALMONDS

Pancakes are great, but have you ever tried lemon pancakes, with berries and almonds in them? It's an elevation, from a regular treat to a decadence! The grated lemon zest gives off a citrusy fragrance to the batter that is perfect to wake you up, and berries as well as almonds add antioxidants and protein, not to mention making your Pancake Day a lot more interesting.
This recipe calls for buttermilk, but in case you don't have or can't find buttermilk, here is how to compensate: use the same amount of regular milk, add a tablespoon of lemon juice and let sit for 5-10 minutes. This will give you the tanginess you'd get if you use buttermilk.
Another note to perfect pancakes is this: DO NOT OVERMIX THE BATTER. This is how you end up having no volume or fluffiness in your pancakes. 

What You Need:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2-3 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest (OR, 1 drop food-grade lemon essential oil)
 3/4 cup frozen berries
1 handful sliced almonds

What You Do:
1. Sift the flour, bicarbonate soda and baking powder and salt together.
2. Beat the egg with a whisk until it’s pale yellow. Add the buttermilk and whisk again. Add in the grated lemon zest (or food-grade lemon essential oil).
3. Add the sifted flour and mix. Do not overmix, a few lumps are fine. This is what gets the pancakes fluffy.
4. Add the melted butter and sugar to combine.
5. Heat a non-stick griddle to medium heat. Add a ladle of the pancake mix. Top with berries and almonds. Turn when bubbles begin to form on the surface.
6. Eat immediately, even better with some maple syrup.
7. You can keep the batter in the fridge for another day, it will last for about a week.